1. Technical Field
The technology presented herein relates to a game using a photographed image, and more particularly to a game in which a predetermined area of a photographed image is divided into small areas (puzzle pieces), the small areas obtained by the division are positioned at random, and the small areas positioned at random are switched and returned to an original state in accordance with a user's operation.
2. Background
A so-called puzzle game in which a still image is divided into a plurality of puzzle pieces, and the plurality of puzzle pieces are positioned at random, and the plurality of puzzle pieces positioned at random are returned to proper positions, respectively, by a user referring to an image, is executed by a dedicated game apparatus or a general-purpose computer. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-185454 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Literature 1) discloses that data of a previously photographed moving image is used in such a puzzle game. The puzzle game apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 displays images of the same time axis, on puzzle pieces, respectively, and allows a user to return the puzzle pieces to proper positions, respectively, by referring to the moving image.
However, the image used in the puzzle game by the puzzle game apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is a moving image, which is a previously photographed moving image. Therefore, the moving image needs to be previously photographed and stored, and further variation of the moving image displayed on the puzzle pieces is small, thereby reducing user's interest. Further, a user uses a cross-shaped cursor button or an arrow button (in the case of a game apparatus), or a mouse (in the case of a computer) to select a puzzle piece to be switched and returned to a proper position, in such a puzzle game. The user is familiar with such an operation. Therefore, the operability is enhanced while the user's interest is reduced. Thus, the puzzle game apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 cannot provide a puzzle game which enables enhancement of user's interest.